Myanmar says newly activated conscription law will draft 5,000 people a month. Some think of fleeing

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government says it will draft 60,000 young men and women yearly for military service under its newly activated conscription law, with call-ups beginning after the April festival marking the country’s traditional New Year. The surprise weekend announcement on conscription appeared to confirm that the military has been stretched thin by increasing pressure from armed pro-democracy resistance forces. The resistance emerged after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Some young people are considering are leaving the country, fleeing into border areas controlled by ethnic minorities or joining resistance groups to avoid the draft.